The Urban Ecology Center is essentially an extension of my front yard. I run by the black landscape fabric stretched out along the Oak Leaf Trail snaking its way along the Milwaukee River Corridor. In addition to spending most Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the renown "green" building before class - fresh coffee and day-old pastries makes it a natural early morning study destination - the UEC finds its way into the Mount Rushmore list of recommendations to anyone and everyone, whether visiting Milwaukee for the first time or life-long residents. It's that wonderful.
When my brother and his family still lived in town, the Riverside Park location was the #1 hang site for me and my 4 year-old nephew. (I'm not gonna say the secret entrance slide had nothing to do with it). When it came time to select a service-learning site, the choice basically made itself: a place whose mission statement looks to foster community engagement through ecologically conscious practices sensitive to local environmental issues while incorporating education, volunteerism, stewardship and recreation at a neighborhood level - and free coffee!
Land stewardship will be the name of the game. The Riverside Park location is responsible for about 70 acres of urban land and set about restoring ecosystems through the removal of invasive species along the Milwaukee River Corridor which will then allow for the reconstruction of locally extinct plant communities. They've already made remarkable strides in this direction, noticeable ones just walking through the different habitats which coexist in Riverside Park - the prairie, the oak-savannah and the maple-basswood forest. This directly from their site and I reckon there's merit to it: the "improved natural areas in turn have greater historical, educational, and inspirational value. Restoring and managing natural areas to better represent the diversity of life forms and communities once native to this region serve to enrich outdoor learning experiences for students of all ages."
A visit to the site almost guarantees a visit in person:
http://urbanecologycenter.org/
